MacArthur fueled for title chase

The MacArthur girls’ soccer team is on a mission after falling just short of a county crown.

The Lady Generals marched to the Nassau Class A finals last year as the eight seed. A 2-0 loss to Valley Stream South on the championship stage fueled the returning players throughout the offseason with fourth-year head coach Jamie San Filippo seeing the team collectively in the best shape since taking over the program

in 2016.

“The offseason was tremendous,” said San Filippo, whose tem entered the week at 5-0-2 in Conference AB-II. “These girls worked their tails off.”

Senior striker Kara DeBlaiso earned All State accolades last year with 25 goals. She has chipped in 10 goals so far this season and chipped in two scores with two assists in a 4-0 win against Plainedge on Sept. 26.

DeBlaiso leads a dynamic offense featuring versatile weapons capable of playing up top or in the midfield. The Generals have produced eight different goal scorers this season including DeBlaiso, Kira Olivos, Isabella Molina, Hailey Hnis, Summer Looney, Alex Coloma, Emily Testa and Olivia Esposito.

“We have four or five girls who can put the ball in the back of the net at any time,” San Filippo said. “It’s a collective unit.”

 MacArthur lost nearly its entire defense from last year’s 13-4-2 team, but came into the week surrendering just six goals through nine conference games. Junior Tara Sweeney is the lone returning starter and has been a mentor for a young backline that San Filippo says has been progressing throughout the season. Sweeney’s twin sister Mary-Kate, sophomore Madison Hnis and freshman Emma Hoesten have contributed to a unit that has already recorded five clean sheets through the first half of the season.

Senior Shannon Killian is once again shining in net as a fourth-year varsity starter after getting named New York State goalie of the year last year. The Stony Brook-bound Killian recorded her third straight shutout in MacArthur’s 2-0 win at Bethpage last Saturday.

“She is such a leader back there,” said San Filippo of Killian, who registered seven saves in a 2-0 win again at North Shore on Sept. 20. “She is a coach’s dream.”

The Lady Generals return to action for two straight home matches starting Wednesday with Cold Spring Harbor, which MacArthur played to a 2-2 tie in the teams’ first meeting on Sept. 17. The week wraps up with a Friday night game against Kennedy at 7 p.m.

If MacArthur can finish atop the Conference AB-II standings, it would earn a first-round playoff game for the upcoming Class A playoffs that kick off after the regular season concludes on Oct. 21 at Plainedge. The highest seed the Lady Generals can obtain is an eight seed, but lie last year’s team that went on a deep playoff run, San Filippo believes his squad can go toe-to-toe with the higher ranked Conference I schools.

“We are battle tested,” he said. “Each game we’re getting a little bit better.”